Learning to add your insights and value to the work environment is a process. You are learning the nuances of each situation you are in. Remember, your schooling only allowed you to learn the material within your major. It did not fully prepare you for workplace situations like this. You may have never been in these situations before and you will be constantly learning how to handle and approach them.
It will take time, but you will be able to recognize patterns in your company culture: how meetings are managed, when to speak up, when to be silent, and how to approach your manager, mentor, or senior manager. It will get easier.
In the meantime, here are some suggestions to help you gain confidence at work and make the transition smoother for you:
Gain Emotional Intelligence
BigstockEmotional intelligence (or EQ) is becoming more and more important to professionals everywhere. Why? Understanding the emotional side of life is just as important as understanding the technical/task side of life.
This is EQ as defined by Daniel Goleman, one of the leaders in this area, on his blog:
"Emotional intelligence (of EI) includes self mastery (self-awareness and self-regulation), plus social intelligence (empathy and social skill). Both are essential: you have to lead yourself before you can lead others. There are sets of leadership competencies that set the best-performers apart from average, that build on these basics—e.g., self-regulation is the basis for the discipline to achieve goals, to be adaptable, and to remain calm and clear under pressure. These leadership competencies are learned—and learnable."
In other words, you need to be able to understand yourself emotionally in order to understand and work well with others. Once you do this, you will begin to thrive in your work with others.
Build Relationships
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To be truly successful in the working environment, you must take your EQ and use it to build solid, compatible, and trusting working relationships. Those relationships will be with your manager, co-workers, and colleagues from across the organization. This is essential in building your "currency" among your colleagues.
As you are seen as a trusted and effective co-worker, you will gain more and more opportunities to shine. One of the most important relationships you can foster is with your direct manager and a mentor. Yes, find yourself a mentor either inside the organization or outside. Finding both is ideal, actually. An inside mentor will help you navigate your company's culture. An outside mentor will be objective and not influenced by the company or their position in the company.
This is one area as a young professional I wished I had latched onto and never let go of. Professional mentors are priceless. Again, it will take time to build strong colleague relationships. Be patient and be authentic—it will pay off in more ways than you can imagine years from now.
Take Risks
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Don't go on a political rant or go to the CEO's office to voice a concern. The risk I suggest early in your career is the risk of trying new projects or assignments. Be intentional about the projects you would like to work on. If you see an opportunity to extend your reach, do it, even if it feels uncomfortable; discomfort is a sign you'll learn and grow from the experience.
Be bold enough, especially after you have a feel for the way your organization functions, to ask to take on what you see as an issue and fix it. Take initiative and step up. And when you fail (because at some point we all do), so what? Learn from it and move on. Don't get bitter or curl up and nurse your wounds, and never accuse someone else for your mistakes. Your "currency" within the organization will be lost.
However, if you are bold enough to try something new and it doesn't work out the way you planned, but you hold your head high and learn from the mistake, your stature in the organization will elevate. Your co-workers will take notice and some may even compliment you on your initiative.
As you develop your EQ, use it in building relationships, and become more intentional in your work activity and direction, your confidence as a young professional will skyrocket.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
